skim

[ skim ]

/ skɪm /

verb (used with object), skimmed, skim·ming.

to take up or remove (floating matter) from the surface of a liquid, as with a spoon or ladle: to skim the cream from milk.

to clear (liquid) thus: to skim milk.

to move or glide lightly over or along (a surface, as of water): The sailboat skimmed the lake.

to throw in a smooth, gliding path over or near a surface, or so as to bounce or ricochet along a surface: to skim a stone across the lake.

to read, study, consider, treat, etc., in a superficial or cursory manner.

to cover, as a liquid, with a thin film or layer: Ice skimmed the lake at night.

to take the best or most available parts or items from: Bargain hunters skimmed the flea markets early in the morning.

to take (the best or most available parts or items) from something: The real bargains had been skimmed by early shoppers.

Metallurgy. to remove (slag, scum, or dross) from the surface of molten metal.

Slang.

to conceal a portion of (winnings, earnings, etc.) in order to avoid paying income taxes, commissions, or the like on the actual total revenue (sometimes followed by off): The casino skimmed two million a year.
to take, remove, or appropriate for illegal use: to skim information from another's credit card.

verb (used without object), skimmed, skim·ming.

to pass or glide lightly over or near a surface.

to read, study, consider, etc., something in a superficial or cursory way.

to become covered with a thin film or layer.

Slang. to conceal gambling or other profits so as to avoid paying taxes, etc.; practice skimming.

noun

an act or instance of skimming.

something that is skimmed off.

a thin layer or film formed on the surface of something, especially a liquid, as the coagulated protein material formed on boiled milk.

a thin layer, as of mortar.

Slang. the amount taken or concealed by skimming.

skim milk.

Obsolete. scum.

Words nearby skim

skillet, skillful, skilling, skillion, skilly, skim, skim milk, skim off, skim-read, skimble-scamble, skimboard

Origin of skim

1375–1425; late Middle English skymen, skemen, variant of scumen to skim; see scum

SYNONYMS FOR skim

5 scan.

12 glance.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR skim ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM skim

un·skimmed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for skimmed

And I whipped off my straw hat and skimmed it across the room and it sailed right out the window and has never been seen since.
Mel Brooks Is Always Funny and Often Wise in This 1975 Playboy Interview|Alex Belth|February 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I had seen the term listed in pregnancy books, but skimmed over it.
Feeding Tubes, NICU, One-on-One Care: Susan Hatfield Talks About Living With Her Trisomy 18 Baby|Susan Hatfield|February 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
When the Concordia skimmed the rocky reef Friday, lodging a giant boulder into her hull, Schettino made his second mistake.
Francesco Schettino, the Costa Concordia’s Daredevil Captain|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Usually a diligent observer, nonetheless Winslow skimmed over the episode in two sentences.
The Real Story Behind Thanksgiving|Nick Bunker|November 24, 2010|DAILY BEAST

It is then boiled down to eliminate moisture and skimmed to get rid of the green juice.
Pancakes' New Topper|Stacey Slate|December 8, 2009|DAILY BEAST
A portion of its surface is still covered with the paint of the early settlers, made of red earth mixed with skimmed milk.
Old Time Wall Papers|Katherine Abbott Sanborn
There they skimmed and flew, as if they had never gone to other skies at all.
A Northern Countryside|Rosalind Richards
The skimmed milk is then placed in a large vat and heated, by means of steam pipes to about 80°.
Scientific American, Vol.22, No. 1, January 1, 1870|Various
Skimmed milk is estimated as being fat-free (although this is not entirely accurate).
Dietetics for Nurses|Fairfax T. Proudfit
If such things must be read, let them be skimmed over as lightly as possible.
Writings in the United Amateur, 1915-1922|Howard Phillips Lovecraft

British Dictionary definitions for skimmed

skim

/ (skɪm) /

verb skims, skimming or skimmed

(tr) to remove floating material from the surface of (a liquid), as with a spoonto skim milk

to glide smoothly or lightly over (a surface)

(tr) to throw (something) in a path over a surface, so as to bounce or ricochetto skim stones over water

(when intr, usually foll by through) to read (a book) in a superficial or cursory manner

to cover (a liquid) with a thin layer or (of liquid) to become coated in this way, as with ice, scum, etc

noun

the act or process of skimming

material skimmed off a liquid, esp off milk

the liquid left after skimming

any thin layer covering a surface

Word Origin for skim

C15 skimmen, probably from scumen to skim; see scum

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

skim

verb (used with object), skimmed, skim·ming.

verb (used without object), skimmed, skim·ming.

noun

Content related to skim

Words related to skim

Words nearby skim

Origin of skim

SYNONYMS FOR skim

OTHER WORDS FROM skim

Examples from the Web for skimmed

British Dictionary definitions for skimmed

verb skims, skimming or skimmed

noun

Word Origin for skim